Rediscover your identity and prove your innocence in The Cross Formula, an incredible Adventure game! After waking up in a roadside motel with no recollection of who you are, you learn that the police suspect you of murder! Solve puzzles, interact with quirky characters, and look for clues as you piece together the story of who you really and prove your innocence in The Cross Formula!

Customer Reviews

The Cross Formula
2.7
5
51
51

A refreshing departure
This a fun adventure game with an interesting/funny story line. In my opinion, the graphics are intentionally cartoonish because it seem to be imitating a comic book "feel". It's a nice change of pace. In terms of playing enjoyment, the puzzles aren't too challenging but they're engaging. As this is a straight adventure game, there are no hidden object scenes. I actually prefer adventure games, so this was a plus for me. The music is fun Elvis-style rockabilly. Again, a fun departure.
February 1, 2012

Having a ball with this one!
This is a different game - even for an adventure game. It has the feel of a graphic novel, with minimalist artwork, all hand drawn. I happen to like the style, but some may not. The music was suited to the scenes, but I wish there had been voiceovers.
This is classic adventure. You are dropped, clueless, into the story, and you have to discover what the story is. You will have to find things, but they are all inventory, and some of them are hard to find. You will interact with other characters, and converse with them, though I don't find this one particularly dialog heavy.
You have to figure out what to do, and what you need to do it. Then there are puzzles that increase in difficulty as you progress. Some of them are quite difficult. I played on medium difficulty, which gives you no hints, but will allow you to skip puzzles, which, so far, I have not. It's challenging without being frustrating, and my major quibble is that it is too linear, but it is a casual game, after all, not a large file adventure.
This is the sort of game you either love or hate, I think. If you don't like wandering and exploring, hunting and thinking, or if you do like sparkles and hand-holding, it isn't your cuppa! But if you like "thinky" games, adventures, and something a little different, you will probably enjoy it. (Not liking it doesn't make it a bad game, or a rubbish game, it just means it isn't your style of play.)
Myst or Syberia it's not, but it is still a very interesting and fun game. I'm very glad BFG offered this game, and kudos to the developers. I'm sick of HOGs, especially dark, foggy, junkpile ones, and this is such a refreshing change!
February 4, 2012

This is the good stuff!
This game is special.
First, it's a true adventure, not a HOG. The challenge is in following the directions and finding out if you have done everything you can in a scene before you move on. The logic is impeccable--this is exactly what an indie adventure game should look and play like.
Next, there is the gorgeous, hand-drawn artwork (for those who can appreciate it). While some have called it "cartoonish", it's actually quite on the par with a good graphic novel--and that's exactly what you end up playing.
The story is great (although I find the mash up of Arizona and New Mexico maps a bit strange). Yes, it's weird and you never are completely sure why you have these strange blackouts, but this is part of the story's charm.
I applaud BFG for going out on a limb for such a different and truly exceptional game. I hope to see more of these.
February 28, 2012

Give this one a try! Great adventure game!
I loved this game. After the first half hour I knew that i was going to buy it. I love adventure style games like this. The graphics are not mind-bending, but that does not matter so much to me. I thought the challenges and mini-games were just hard enough. Some were super easy, a few quite hard, but overall, pleasantly challenging.
I loved having a choice of dialogue with the NPC's.
I am another hour into the game after the Demo and still loving it. If you lke adventure games that make sense and challenge you without breaking your brain, you will love this game.
July 22, 2012

Should give this a try!
This has an old time feel. Like those games you played when you first started. It's done in comic book graphics and there are no voice overs but the story is interesting.
You find yourself with amnesia and have to find clues to who you are.
If you play the demo be sure to stick with it! The first few minutes gives you the impression that this will be far to easy. In some respects it is. The hint system will walk you through but there are some unique mini games and different game play. Foe me it seemed to get more difficult as you play.
Not a game for the top of my list but will go on it.
February 1, 2012

I'm loving this old adventure style game....
Some people sent in reviews without even finishing the Demo... I finished the demo and the puzzles appear to get more difficult... hoping they continue to as well. There are three difficulty levels to choice from so hints, etc. will not be as easy depending on level chosen. Besides asking for forum help, there is prob. a walkthru somewhere on internet, also, if you get stuck..
So, based on the Demo, this is an old style adventure game yet obviously newly designed based on GPS in vehicle and based on an interesting theory of mind control (which the gov has actually experimented with/used). I am purchasing because it has a diifferent and intriguing story, one I want to follow through and find out more about.
The graphics are hand drawn, colorful, and don't expect voice overs or sophisticated technical appeal, although there are some cool (IMO) cutscenes suggesting the mind control and leading to mini games. Overall, the game's storyline and solving puzzles is it's main appeal.
Though I'm swimming against the stream right now opinion-wise, I would give it a definite thumbs up!. At the very least, give the Demo a try. It is "out of the box"... not the "usual" and that is what gives it a lot of it's charm and appeal.
I'm looking forward to completing it! :)
February 1, 2012

A Nice Old Fashioned Adventure Game.
This review is based on completing the entire game. I found the graphics and sound very well done. I really enjoyed the cartoonish style graphics and the humorous dialogue. The puzzles were different and somewhat challenging. I particularly enjoyed the formula puzzles.
The ending is the only reason I give this game 4 stars instead of 5 stars. But, that is just me.
Overall, its still a very well done game and I reccomend it for anyone who enjoy old fashioned type adventure games.
February 3, 2012

Enjoyable Point and Click Adventure
Seeing how some people mentioned that the instruction don't go any deeper than "click until you find something useful" proves to me that they've never played the classic point and click adventurers that have been around for quite some time. Point and Click adventure games have never been about difficult puzzles, great graphics, or compelling story. Some of the best had stories only as "escape the locked room." Music was ok and the art was nicely done and the puzzles weren't hard. This is a game I'll store away when I have the chance to get it. Definitely for those that remember and enjoy the classics.
February 3, 2012

Return of a 'real' adventure game...
4 stars for this authentic adventure game built in classic point & click style, no HOS at all, ever.
A decent story drives us forward. Hunted for a murder we don't remember doing, we try to evade whoever's after us & learn who we? killed & why? Conspiracy theories & intrigue. From sleazy motel room to underground military base to our L.A. studio, we need to figure out how to use objects available in the rooms/areas to solve tasks, mini-games & some outright puzzles. We also get some help from the characters we meet.
The brightly-colored cartoony art style, special effects & sounds are well done & gameplay mechanics are smooth. Story does not rely on long dialogues or cutscenes: hardly any reading in fact, just lots of exploring.
A decent tutorial & 3 difficulty levels (changeable in-game too# allow perfect match for one's preferred challenge-level. No sparkles & a good hint system. Difficulty ramps up as game progresses.
Puzzles range from old-familiars, e.g. key/lock combo, jigsaws, short memory-play games, to using a jackhammer, dynamite & computer punchcard system. Some fresh twists & some outright unique puzzles, e.g. a "scientific formula" puzzle that reappears is quite fun & requires fitting letters/shapes inside outlines. The game's finale puzzle is a clever video-sequencing task.
We have numerous quests like break-ins, equipment assembling, getting gas with no $, etc. It's rewarding to overcome difficulties & solve puzzles by use of a more common-sense, real-life logics approach instead of simply being magically given that much-needed crowbar etc as result of finishing some HOS scene!
As with most true adventure games, half the fun is figuring out "how" to solve the puzzles, thus instructions are not in-depth. BFG offers a great walkthrough, though.
Clocking in at @ 5 hours on expert if no puzzle skips & light strategy guide usage, the game's last 2 #of 7# chapters have quite some puzzles & are a blast. The only letdown is the ending: a setup for a sequel #yahoo!# that sadly leaves too many questions unanswered here #boo--a big no-no IMO for any true adventure game#. I deduct a star for this.
Players who love adventure, get excited to "think" their way through a game, or are tired of same-old same-old HOS should really enjoy solving this old-school adventure game.
#It's grand to see a traditional HOS dev tackle the more "pure" adventure genre--kudos!#
February 2, 2012

Not a disguised Hidden Object game!
For those that are tired of clicking on an adventure only to discover it is really just another hidden objects game in disguise and want something OTHER than that, this is a welcome relief. True, the graphics aren't as beautiful as some of the Big Fish games, but they are good quality. On a scale from1-10 with any hidden object game being a 5 and "Syberia" or "Journey" being a 10, this is a 7. The music is well done. I like jazz, and it goes along with the illustrations to give it a descent noir mystery feeling. Some of the first puzzles are easy, as is usual. The story line is good! For an under $10.00 game, it is darn good! Certainly worth trying if you want something other than hidden object!
February 3, 2012